The Small Business Administration, a federal agency that offers government guarantees on bank-issued loans, tracks which lenders make the most loans to small businesses.

The SBA district office in San Diego has released information for the most recent nine-month period ending June 30. The top-ranked lender was Wells Fargo Bank. Wells Fargo made 57 loans totaling $16.6 million during those nine months in San Diego and Imperial counties, the SBA said.

Steve Doss, regional SBA sales manager for Wells Fargo in Southern California, said: “The Recovery Act has had a dramatic impact on our ability to lend and to help borrowers.”

The SBA's top 10 small-business lenders in San Diego and Imperial counties: